The present disclosure is in the technical field of temperature control of objects by means of directing air across one or more surfaces of the object.
It is known in the art that the temperature of objects may be raised, lowered, or controlled at a specific level by directing a flow of air across the object. The temperature, velocity, turbulence, and/or volumetric flow of the air may be varied in order to effect the temperature control of the object. If the object dissipates power of its own, temperature control may be further enhanced by measuring or controlling the amount of power dissipated by the object, in addition to the properties of the flow of air.
In cases where the temperature of multiple objects must be controlled at the same time, especially where each object must be at a different temperature and/or dissipates a different or varying amount of power, a separate air flow may be used for each object. This is common during the manufacture of electronic devices or assemblies, or of electromechanical devices. It may also be common during the manufacture or testing of biological agents or samples. Each separate air flow may draw from a common source of air, such as the ambient air or a controlled reservoir of air. Alternatively, each air flow may be a circulating flow of air where the entire path is separate from the flow of air for other objects. In applications where objects need to have their temperatures controlled for different lengths of time, or when objects are continuously processed rather than processed as a large batch, it may be advantageous to allow manual or automated replacement of each object without affecting the state or air flow of other objects.
The efficiency of object replacement in a temperature control apparatus may be enhanced by concentrating the access to the objects in to a small area. If object replacement is by automated means, concentrating object access into small area reduces the required size and reach of an automated transporter, and reduces travel time between object locations. If object replacement is by a human operator, concentrating object access into small area allows more objects to be located in an ergonomic access window, and reduces the amount of walking or movement required by the human operator.
Accordingly, maximizing the density of the object access area of a temperature control apparatus requires making the cavities, drawers, shelves, or other control volumes that support the object while its temperature is being controlled, as small as possible in the dimension of the plane or planes facing the operator or automated transporter. For objects of fixed dimensions, the lower limit on the size of the access point is equal to the smallest planar dimension of the object placed in the control volume. It is therefore advantageous to insert and remove the object with its smallest planar dimension facing the operator or mechanical transporter. Furthermore, each air flow through the temperature control apparatus is preferably along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the smallest planar dimension of the object. (See note on common reservoir above). Air flow along any other axis may require duct work and/or air movers that require space that could otherwise be used to place the objects closer together while in the temperature control apparatus. Unfortunately, not all objects can be optimally temperature controlled by an air flow along an axis that is substantially perpendicular to their smallest planar dimension, possibly because of uneven heat distribution, self-heating effects, high air flow resistance, or other considerations.
It would be advantageous for a temperature control apparatus to both present the minimum area to an operator or automated transporter, and to permit the air flow across the object to be along an axis or path that is not substantially perpendicular to that smallest area.